Chapter 8

Changing Clustered Hardware Nondisruptively

About this chapter

This chapter describes the process of changing hardware components using the nondisruptive cluster upgrade method.

For more information about nondisruptive Data ONTAP upgrades of clustered systems, see the Upgrade Guide.

Note
Nondisruptive hardware upgrades to FCP attached storage systems are not supported.

See the hardware documentation for your storage systems before upgrading hardware components.

When hardware upgrades can be performed

You can perform hardware maintenance and upgrades using the nondisruptive clustered upgrade method. You can perform nondisruptive hardware upgrades independently or in conjunction with a Data ONTAP upgrade of clustered systems.

If hardware and software are upgraded together, the new software must be downloaded first. If you are upgrading within a release family, you can upgrade the hardware and Data ONTAP together. If you are upgrading between release families, you need to upgrade Data ONTAP first, which might cause a small disruption, but you can use the nondisruptive upgrade procedure to cover the longer period required for hardware upgrades.

In a nondisruptive upgrade, each node is successively "failed" and its partner is put in takeover state at one point in the procedure. While the "failed" node is in the waiting for giveback state, it can be interrupted and brought to the firmware ok prompt or powered off.

Replacing a component nondisruptively

You can use the nondisruptive cluster upgrade method to perform the following hardware upgrade procedures:

Replacing the head (with the same type as before, and with the same adapters)
Replacing the motherboard
Replacing or adding an adapter
You can replace NVRAM, disk, or NIC components, either with the same component or with an improved component (for example, you can upgrade from 2-port to 4-port Gigabit Ethernet (GbE), or 1-port to 2-port Fibre Channel).
Replacing the cluster interconnect card
Installing onboard firmware on various platforms (for example, the Baseboard Management Controller (BMC) on FAS900 series storage systems)

You can also run diagnostics on various components of the "failed" machine (for example, motherboard or NVRAM).

Note
Running diagnostics on parts of the machine that are still visible to or in use by the partner--notably disks and the cluster interconnect card--can present problems. See the Diagnostics Guide.

Replacing a component nondisruptively involves the following tasks:

Removing the component
Installing the new component

Removing the component

To remove a hardware component from a node, complete the following steps.

Step	Action
1	Put on an antistatic wrist strap.
2	Take over the node that has the component you want to replace by entering the following command from its partner's console: cf takeover Result: The node takes over the partner node. You see a message similar to the following: takeover completed
3	Turn off the power to the target node, then unplug it from the power source.
4	Remove any applicable cabling to the component, then remove the component, as described in the Hardware and Service Guide or the hardware documentation for that component.

Installing the new component

To install a component in a node, complete the following steps.

Step	Action
1	While grounded, install the new component, as described in the Hardware and Service Guide or the hardware documentation for that component.
2	Close the node and reconnect any applicable cables to the component.
3	Plug the node back into the power source, and then apply power.
4	After the node boots and is at the `Waiting for Giveback' prompt, run giveback by entering the following command on the local node's console: cf giveback Result: The partner node reboots and functions normally. A successful giveback ends with the following message on the local node: giveback completed